THE BURIED TREASURE. 259

Char. “Chares? or Charides? or was it by any
chance Charmides ?”

Mes. “Ah! that was it. Confound the fellow!”

Char. “Why confound him?”

Mes. “Because the villain kept giving me the slip.”

Char. “ How did you come across him?”

Mes. “Oh! in the course of my travels.”

Char. “Where did you travel, then?”

Mes. “First I sailed to Arabia in Pontus.”

Char. “Oh! Pontus is in Arabia, is it?”

Mes. “1 don’t mean the place where the frankin-
cense grows, but the wormwood country.”

Char. (aside). “This is a pretty kind of liar! But
what a fool I am to ask him these questions; still, I
want to see how he’ll get out of it.” (Zo the messen-
ger) “Well, where did you go after Arabia?”

Mes. “Oh! to the river that rises in heaven under
the throne of Zeus.”

Char. “Under the throne of Zeus?”

Mes. “Just so.”

Char. “Rises in heaven, did you say?”

Mes. “Yes, in heaven, in the middle of it.”

Char. “So you’ve been up to heaven?”

Mes. “Just so; we sailed up-stream in a skiff.”

Char. “ And did you see Zeus?”

Mes. “No; the other gods said that he had gone
to his country-house to serve out his slaves’ rations.
But would you point out to me the persons who ought
to have the letters?”